Feeding apparatus in typing or printing



, Sept. 1, 1942. J. KEATING EI'AL FEEDING A PPARATUS IN TYPING ORPRINTING Filed Dec. 29, 1939 6 Sheets-Sheet l P 942. H. J. KEATING ET AL2,294,784

FEEDING APPARATUS IN TYPING OR PRINTING Fiied Dec. 29, 1939 eSheets-Sheet 2 AQs' [Jim 7 ATTORNEY.

'III/{'(IIIIIIIIII/I/I/IIIIIIII/IIII;

Sept. 1,1942.

H. J. KEATlN-G ETAL FEEDING APPARATUS IN TYPING OR PRINTING Filed Dec.29, 1939 54 4 J 2218 jg 32 E 2 .36 .36 IT? I 2y I Q BY 12 gimp wag v I 6Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEY.

5 f 1 2%1NVENTON:

Sept. 1, 1942.

H. J. KEATING ET AL FEEDING APPARATUS IN TYPING OR PRIN'IING sSheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 29, 1939 INVENTORS:

ATTO EY.

Sept. 1, 1942. H. J. KEATING ET AL A FEEDING APPARATUS IN TYPING OR,PRINTING 6 Sheets-Sheet. 5 Y

INVENTORS:

ATTORNEY.

Sept. 1, 1942. H. J. KEATING ETAL FEEDING APPARATUS IN TYPING ORPRINTING Filed Dec. 29, 1939 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTORS.

I ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 1, 1942 UHTED STATES PATENT OFFICE FEEDING APPARATUS INTYPING OR PRINTING Herbert J. Keating, Brooklyn, N. Y., and John E.Keeting, Bloomfield, N. J.

Application December 29, 1939, Serial No. 311,646

20 Claims. (Cl. 197-130) erating the typewriter or other machine, and

which may be juxtaposed or connected to, or actually incorporated in theorganic structure of said typewriter or other machine as a permanent andinherent portion thereof.

The main object of the invention is particularly to provide means foroperating a typewriter, adding or printing machine with an entirely newand high degree of eificiency, when addressing envelopes and cards ormaking short entries or calculations, etc. on envelopes, folders, cardsor sheets, and for other purposes, so that an unwonted speed andconvenience in such operations is attained.

Another object is to increase production of typed and printedmatter ofthe types indicated as produced upon a typewriter, adding or printingmachine in order to reduce the cost of such work and save both time andlabor.

A further object is to provide a device of the mentioned character whichis simple and sturdy in construction, and yet extremely efi'ective inoperation while having such an ideal and practical theory of design asto be durable and capable of withstanding long, hard use by relativelyunskilled operators.

It is also an object of our invention to furnish a device for thepresent purposes which is conveniently adjusted for operation and aseasily shifted out of action so as to allow regular and uphampered useof the machine to which it is attached or of which it forms a part.

It is a further object to have the device herein adapted for receiving astack of envelopes, cards, etc., of different widths or lengths merelyby adjusting guides on the device accordingly, while also having atake-up plate, and particularly a special stop at the working end of thestack allowing a single card or envelope to be initially releasedpreparatory to feeding the same to the platen of the machine intended totype or print on the same.

Yet another object is to have the device provided with means forinitially releasing a single envelope, card, etc., from the stack bydepressing a release lever with a finger of one handwhile catching withthe same hand a previously typed or printed envelope or card, etc.,ejected from the platen, and for independently but simultaneouslyoperatinga manual lever by the other-hand for feeding said initiallyreleased single envelope or card, etc., to immediate typing positionupon said platen of the associated typing or printing instrumentalities.

Finally, it should be brought out that it is a particularly usefulobject of our invention to have a gear mounted upon the platen or rollershaft of the typewriter, etc., in a position to mesh with a gear drivemechanism upon the feeding apparatus in cooperation with the marginstops of the typewriter so that said gears will initially mesh in apredetermined position of the carriage preparatory to feeding anenvelope, card or sheet, etc., into typing position on the typewriter.

Other objects and the numerous advantages inherent in the constructionand nature of the invention and accruing from its sphere of use willappear more fully in detail as this specification proceeds.

In order to facilitate a more thorough comprehension of our inventionand its most advantageous forms of construction and operation, the sameis illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, and inwhich,

A ing shown in working operative position.

Fig. 1A shows the same in working inoperative or idle position.

Fig. 1B shows a detail of the feeding apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a side view indicating in dot and dash lines altered positionsof certain operating parts and also a typewriter in operativeassociation with the apparatus. 7

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of a slidable sup.- port for a gear bent inshape to fit and partly envelope the typewriter frame and having anintermediate portion l6 thereof intended to drive the platen of thetypewriter. v 4

Fig. 5 is a section of the parts of Fig. 4 as taken on line 5-5 in saidview. 7

Fig. 6 is a transverse section of the whole apparatus as taken on line6-6 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view of a one way slip clutchapplied to a main shaft and an auxiliary feed shaft of the apparatus.

Fig. 8 is a front elevation of a special swinging frame of the apparatusembodying certain of the desirable features of the invention;

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of a non-limiting modification illustratingthe invention as combined with and forming an organic portion of atypewriter, the typewriter representing alternatively, an adding machineor ribbon printing machine.

Fig. is a fragmentary View of modified detail of the platen gear drive.

Finally, Fig. 10A is a similar view of another modification of theplaten gear drive.

Throughout the views, the same references indicate the same or likeparts.

In large business ofiices where it is periodically or perhapscontinually necessary to address envelopes, cards, etc., or make pay andtax entries on pay envelopes, or record data on cards, single sheets ofpaper or folders, and perform other like operations in repeated series,it is quite a problem to produce a large output of the matter to betyped or printed in this manner, and experience has shown that such workentails unavoidable expense and loss of time, because it requiresefficient operators and is even then laborious and fatiguing. The numberof machines tied up, the number of operators required and the oflicespace thus occupied are all serious factors which must be considered,and all the disadvantages enumerated have apparently been unavoidable,as heretofore nothing effective has been proposed to remedy thesituation.

However, it is now proposed herein to attack the problem from a newangle, so that all such operations will henceforth be carried outaccording to a new concept of inserting, feeding and ejecting a card,sheet or envelope, etc., into, through and from a typewriter, adding orribbon printing machine.

Hence, with the foregoing and other objects in View, and also in orderto remove all the mentioned disadvantages at one sweep, the inventioncomprises the novel and highly useful and effective construction andprinciples of operation as will now be explained.

In the practice of our invention, a stationary frame, generallyindicated at I, forms the foundation of the structure and consists of apair of spaced opposite side frame members 2, 3, connected together atthe front and at the rear by smaller frame members or plates 4 and 5,respectively, which are preferably secured to projections 6, B and 1, 1on side frame 2 and equivalent projections on side frame 3, while across bar 8 at the lower part of the front is also secured to both sideframes for a purpose presently to appear. The frame I as a whole isintended to be clamped to the rear of a typewriter so as to be rigidwith the frame thereof, and for this purpose, a hook 9 is held looselycaptive to the crossbar 8 by means of a loose bolt III or the likeresting in an aperture in a plate II secured to bar 8. A cam lever I2 ispivoted at I3 to the hook 9 so that when said hook is caught under thelower edge of a typewriter frame, lowering of the lever I2 by hand willcause the cam end I4 to wedge against plate II and cause the clamp todraw the whole frame I'toward the typewriter. In order to determine afixed relation between said frame I and the typewriter, a stop bar I5 issecured to the two side frames and is intended to abut against the rearof the typewriter frame, while holding the typewriter spaced 'asufficient distance from the apparatus of the invention to allow for aclearance for the margin stop mechanism of the typewriter, and locatesthe typewriter properly with respect to the present apparatus. The framethus connected can of course not buck or shift during use. It would alsobe feasible to screw or bolt the frame to the desk or table upon whichit is mounted, but in any event, the typewriter I1 will preferably belocated in the close fixed position to the frame I as indicated in lightoutline in Fig. 3.

Upon the frame I is mounted a pair of mutually similar rocker bracketsI8, I9 which are 'swingable upon pivot shafts 2D and 2I at their endsextending into bosses 22, 22, etc., of the side frame 2 and 3, thelatter serving as supports therefor. The mentioned brackets haveupwardly directed arms 23, 23, 24, 24, which are pivotally connected bythe studs or shafts 25, 25, 25, 2'6, to side cheeks 21, 21, 28, 28, of aswinging, upper frame generally indicated at 29 and mainly comprising apair of substantial transverse bars 30, 3i, rigidly carrying said cheeksupon their outer ends and having a pair of parallel side bars 50, 50connecting the ends of said shafts on both sides, while two parallelguide rods 32, 32 are fixed upon the checks to stiffen the resultingframe so that it will form a rigid unit free from twist which will swingon the brackets from a forward working operative position shown in Fig.3, to a rear idle or working inoperative position shown in Fig. 1A, inwhich the typewriter is free and unobstructed and ready for any ordinarytyping of letters and large sheets as though the present apparatus wereentirely absent.

Due to the fact that the mentioned rear idle position of the upperswingable frame simply serves to leave the typewriter clear forindependent use, said rear position is, of course not very particular.On the other hand, the forward working operative position is importantand must be tolerably accurate, as will shortly appear. In order todetermine the forward working position as well as a rear workinginoperative position for said swingable frame and thus limit theamplitude of movement possible to the same, a pair of transverse bars'33, 34 are provided with rounded ends which are pivoted -in the lowerinner sides of swingable brackets I8 and I9 below the pivot or fulcrumshafts 20 and 2I thereof. To these transverse bars are secured the upperends of two pairs of rods 35, 36 which are threaded at their lower endsand immediately above the latter pass through a second pair oftransverse bars 31 and 38 beneath which the rods have nuts 39, 39forming stops against said last mentioned transverse bars. In order toallow for slight swinging movement of the rods 35, 36, these last bars31, 38have round ends pivoted in the side frames '2 and 3.

It is obvious that the brackets I18 and I9 actually form levers whichfulcrum about their shafts 20, 2I, with the upper arms supporting theframe '29 and the lower ends. controlled by the bars 33, 34, rods 35, 36and particularly the location of the nuts 39, 39 on the rods and theirengagement against bars 31, 38, which will .determine just to 'whatpoint the brackets I8, I9 and frame 29 may swing to the desired forwardworking operative position of said frame as shown in Fig. 1. Thisposition can therefore be adjusted to suit by adjusting the nuts 39, 39:so as to allow a longer or shorter swing of the brackets, but therearward working inoperative position of the frame 29 as shown in Fig.1A will merely be a haphazard resulting position in which adjustment isnot necessary as no work is done in that disposition of the apparatus.

As the purpose of the invention is to selectively feed a singleenvelope, card or sheet of paper directly into typing position on theplaten of a typewriter, the facilities for storing a stack of suchenvelopes, cards or sheets, and the special mechanism for feeding thesame as stated will now be more particularly considered, inasmuch as thefoundation structure of the apparatus has already been described.

The cheeks 21, 21 and 28, 28 of the bars 39 and 3|, respectively, maywell be integral therewith, and carry the supporting guide rods 32, 32,already mentioned, these rods having at their lower or forward endssmall stops 40, 48 best seen in Fig. 1 in broken lines and in plan Viewin Fig. 2, the same being sufficiently high to prevent the lower edge ofthe first envelope or card from sliding off the guide rods. Between saidrods is fixed an intermediate take-up supporting rod; 4| held in placeby a rear bracket 42 fixed on cross bar 3| and a front plate 43 securedto a transverse bar 44 which is in turn secured at its ends to thecheeks 21, 21. Upon the rod 4| is slidably mounted a bracket 45 having atake-up plate 48 secured thereto and adapted to follow up a stackof'envelopes or cards, etc., generally indicated at 41. The take-upplate has a pair of auxiliary guides 48, 48 secured thereto and adaptedto slide on rods 32, 32 in order to maintain the guideplate in efiicientoperating position through the entire range of travel of said platealong the rods.

In order to ensure that the take-up plate will exert a desiredpredetermined gentle pressure upon the stack and constantly urge thesame forward toward the operating end, a spring reel 49 is rotatablymounted below rod 4| between the side bars 58 secured at the endsthereof to the two cheeks 27., 21, 28, 28 of the frame 29, a band beingsecured and partly wound up on said reel at one end and having the otherend passed over a roller 52 rotatably mounted between a pair of lugs 53on plate 43, after which said end of the band runs beneath rod 8| and issecured to the bottom of take-up plate bracket 45. Supporting said reelis a bracket 53 forming a'bearing for a spring shaft 54 to which isfixed a spring (not shown) within the reel and a ratchet 55 exteriorlyof the side of said reel, while a pawl 56 is pivoted in said bracket 53so as to engage with the teeth of the ratchet and prevent unwinding ofthe spring. The latter is wound to the desired tension by a crank 57fixed on the shaft 54, the inner end of the spring being secured to theshaft and the outer end to the reel in known manner, so that it willtend to rotate the reel by its tendency to unwind and thereby wind upand thus take up all slack in band 5|, thereby resiliently drawing thetake-up plate in a forward direction from any point along the rods 3|,32, 32.

At the front or operating end of frame 29 a pair of one-way feed rolls58, 58 are secured spaced apart on a spindle 59 rotatably mounted in apair of bearings 68, 68 which may be of any approved type, even ballbearings, if desired, and the same form side portions of a bracket orframe 6| adjustably mounted upon a pair of spaced head supports it, 79preferably forming rigid projections or lugs on a front feed mechanismframe or head generally indicated at 62. Upon the same spindle ismounted a freewheel return device'or one-way clutch 63 which may be ofconventional type or any known type to which a pinion 64 is securedwhich meshes with a gear segment 65 operated by a finger trip lever 88.This segment and. lever member has a spring barrel 81 associatedtherewith, containing a return spring (not shown) tending to restore thelever after having been depressed, the lever and its barrel beingmounted on a pivot shaft 68 between a pair of lugs 59, 69 projectingrigidly inward from a transverse front portion of the bracket 6|. Thehead or front frame 62 has side extensions ll II which connect with andare secured rigidly to the cheeks 21, 21 of the upper swingable frame29.

If the lever 66 is depressed from the position shown in full lines tothat indicated in dot and dash lines in Fig. 1, the segment 65 willnaturally rise and rotate the pinion 64 and through the clutch, also thespindle 59, and feed rolls 55, with the result that the foremostenvelope or card 12 will be frictionally pushed down sufficiently toinitially feed or warp the lower edge thereof ofi the small stops 49, 38of guide rods 32, 32 into a released position preparatory to feeding theenvelope or card to the typewriter. In a position spaced below the feedrolls, a shaft 13 is mounted in bearings l4, M on the swingable frame,and provided with rotatable shedding or stripping rolls l5, 75 which arelocated at the foot of or below the incline formed by the guide rods 32,32 for the envelope stack, and adjacent to the small stops :19, 48 onsaid rods, so that as the envelopes reach the lower or front end of saidrods, their engagement against the small fixed stops 48, 48 will besufficiently insecure to allow ready release of the first envelope orcard by operation of the feed rolls against the same upon depressing thelever 65 as already outlined. However, when the lever is allowed toreturn to original position, the clutch 53 allows the feed rolls toremain stationary.

Upon the last mentioned shaft H3 or intended two further rolls I6, 16outside each of the guide rods 32, 32 (Fig. 1A) in order to preventfouling or tearing any envelope on the small stops, and these last rollsare intended to take part in the regular high speed feeding of eachenvelope or card after release of' the latter from said stops theshedding or stripping rolls 15, 15 serves to shed or strip any envelopethat tends to follow the first which is actually being fed toward theplaten while virtually forming an obstacle thereto during the feeding ofsaid first envelope, the further rolls "5, 16 being sometimes founduseful in cooperating with but tending to press the envelope initiallyagainst the feeding belts. It is to be noted that these rolls l5, I5,16, 18 are merely idler rolls and are not directly operated by any leverbut are operated by friction between the envelope being fed down betweenfeed rolls 58, 58 and the feed belts 85, 85. In other words, the card orenvelope is warped by the feed rolls by depressing the finger piece 68shown in Fig. 2, and the depression of the lever involved actuatesrollers 58, 58. As these rollers are mounted between centers on theshaft already referred to, and have the one way friction clutch, theyserve to start the card or envelope in its downward movement and exertsufiicient pressure to snap the card over the hooks upset on thesupporting and guiding rods 32, 32. At the extreme sides of the frontframe 62 area pair of pendent 'lugs H, 11 having bearing l8, 18 for arotatably mounted roller shaft 19 provided with a pair of spaced rollers89, 89 fixed thereon. In a position above each of said rollers ismounted an upper roller 8| rotatable on a stud or bolt 82 fixed on eachOf the two supports 10, 10, while a flexible and preferably resilientfeed belt 83 of rubber material is passed over each pair .of rollers 80,8| so as to operate against the :respectively adjacent roll 16 onspindle I3 and against an additional roll 84 mounted for free rotationbeneath each roll I6. The effect is that a card or envelope once startedfrom. the stack will be caught between the two belts 83, 83 and th rolls16, I6, 84, 84, and if the roller shaft is caused to revolve so that thebelts travel down against said envelope, the envelope or card will passrapidly down between the belts on one side is included as well as drivemeans for the typewriter platen, as will now be considered.

Preferably on the right side of the apparatus, a manual lever 86 ispivotally mounted for limited arcuate movement about a bolt or stud 81fixed on the right rear cheek 28 of the upper swingable frame andextends forward substantially alongside the keyboard of the associatedtypewriter and is capped upon the forward end with a hand rest or plate88, a guide or retainer member 89 fast upon side frame 2 preventinginjurious sidewise displacement or bending of the lever. Upon the innerside of this lever is fixed a dog 99 with a roller 9| rotatably mountedat its rear end for rolling engagement against a driving cam arm 92pivoted at 93 in a post 94 secured at the upper end to th front frame 62and held rigid with respect to the upper swingable frame by means of areinforcing strip 95 secured at 96 to said post and at its rear end 9!to the rear right cheek 28. To the upper end of the cam arm is connectedthe .end ofxa flexible driving band 98 of a reel 99 mounted upon aone-way free-wheel device or clutch 100 as shown in detail in Fig. '7,said clutch having an inner clutch member IIM, fixed on roller-sha'fitI9 and a plurality of roller or ball bearings I02, I02, etc. which areeffective to rigidly connect the two clutch members when the {band 98;is

drawn rearwardly by the cam arm, but -W-i115911- low the band to bewound up again on the reel by operation of aspring I03 (Fig. :5) withsimultaneous return of the cam arm and manual lever to originalpositions shown in full lines in Figs. 1, 1A, and in dot and dash linesin Fig. .3 .60

from the positions shown in full lines in said Fig. 3, while allowingthe rubber feed belts, 83, 83 to remain stationary during .said returnmove.- ment.

" Upon the right side of the heador front frame 62 is an adjustablebracket I04 (Figs. 2 4 and 5) which can be adjusted outwardly along thelateral portion I05 of frame 62 and fixed in any desired position on thesame by aknu-rled screw I06. This bracket has a bearin block I05! forthe right end of roller shaft 19 uponwhich is slidably mounted a gearI08 having the interior teeth I09, I09 serving as keys located in thekeyways III], III! in said shaft to ensure positi-ve rotation of thegear with this shaft. Mesh- I5 belts 83, .83 .in :the frame above.

ing with .said gear 108 is a second gear III rotatable .on a stud orscrew II2 fixed in block I01 in a position which will overhang theplaten IIJof the typewriter I1 (Fig, 3). For the present purpose, theplaten shaft I I4 has a gear .115 fixed thereon with which theoverhanging gear I is adapted to mesh during operation. Normally, a footII6 rests upon the desk or table supporting th typewriter and the deviceassociated therewith and'supports the right end of thehead 62 carryingthe gears in a slightly raised position in which the gear III clears theplaten gear II5, this foot being articulated to a pendent link III inpost 94 which is articulated in turn at its upper end II8 to the lowerend or short arm -I I9 by a pin or bolt I20, with the result that inidle upright position of the cam lever-92 shown in dot and dash lines inFig. 3, the link Ill and lower short arm II9 of the lever act as atoggle forcing the foot to .its lowest possible position.

While the bearing block has been shown as forming part .of an adjustablebracket, the same can well be rigid and/0r integral with the head 52,while gear 108 may be fixed on the roller shaft by a pin or key or anyother means or be integral with said shaft.

When the operating lever 86 is depressed toward the position shown infull lines in Fig. 3 from that indicated in dot and dash lines, the camlever 92 will be forced back into its full line position, so that itslower arm II9 will raise link :III and thereby lift foot IIB off thedesk and allow the upper swingable frame, especially at the front rightside thereof to lower sufficiently to cause gear III thereof to meshwith platen gear I I5. This meshing occurs almost immediately uponbeginning the manipulation of the operating lever 86, so that therotation .of the roller shaft I9 is transmitted from gear I08, to gearIII and by the latter to the platen gear H5 so asto rotate the platenand thus cause the same to receive the first envelope or card 12 as itis fed downward from the roller Thus, the belts are set in operation aalready outlined simultaneously with .the rotation of the platen so thatthe'envelope is at once shifted to a good typing position.

When the envelope or card, etc., has been typed and is to be replaced byanother from the stack, the feeding mechanism of the head 62, above theplaten will again come into play, and when it is borne in mind that theoperating gear vIII remains in one position while the typewritercarriage travels longitudinally with respect to the axis of its platenduring the typing, it is obvious that the ear on the platen shaft mustbe brought to register beneath said operating gear. This is accomplishedby setting one of themargi-n stops of the typewriter in proper positionso that when the carriage on said ma- .chineisreturned to startingposition both mentioned gears will register and will mesh when the headisslightly lowered, as already described. .Of course, a wide faced gearcould replace the operating gear III ,so that it could mesh with theplaten .gear at almost any point and in almost any attained position ofthe carriage, but an ordinary, width or face sufiices if the margin,stopis first set for the carriage to bring the gears into register. Onthe other hand, a mar- .gin stop :can be set to cooperat with thetabulator keyof th typewriter to stop the carriage in aposition in whichthe gear III will register with the platen gear, or the hand lever 86could well be provided with a projection or trip which would depress thetabulator key or otherwise independently operate a release for thecarriage through links and levers.

Hence, in the present case, the obvious first step is to return thetypewriter carriage to starting position or predetermined margin stopposition and then the left hand is raised to a position in which thethumb and the index and middle fingers are ready to catch the typed cardor envelope as it will be ejected from the platen, While the last twofingers of the sam hand are used momentarily to depress the releaselever 66 in order initially to release the next card or envelope fromthe stack. At this moment, pressing down upon the manual operating lever86 with the right hand will cause the feed belts and typewriter platento operate, with the immediate result that the first card or envelope isejected into the left hand from the platen and the second card orenvelope just released is promptly fed into proper typing position onsaid platen. After typing the desired subject matter on the card orenvelope, theejection and replacement thereof occurs by again carryingout the cycle of operation just described above. The manual operatinglever can conveniently be limited in upward movement by an adjustablestop I22, while in the downward direction the lever may be limited byits contact with the curved or bent cam lever 92 and abutment of thelatter against a stop I23 on frame 2, or by any other suitable means.

It has already been stated that the guide rods 32, 32 form part of thestructure of the upper swingable frame 29, but due to the presence ofthe small trip stops 4!], 40 at their forward ends, these stops requireto be set rather accurately with respect to rollers I6 and feed belts83, and hence, each rod is fixed to a block I34 beneath the forwardportion thereof and a block I35 beneath the rear portion. Projectingrearwardly from each cheek 2'! of the upper frame is a stud I36 uponwhich the block I34 mounted, while a screw threaded stud I31 projectsrearwardly from each of the rear cheeks 28 and extends through therespective rear block I35. Adjustment is obtained by means of the nutsI38, I39, and the same are locked tight against the front and rear facesof the block when the rod above is adjusted to desired position.

As cards, envelopes and sheets of various sizes are intended to beaccommodated, a pair of adjustable rails I46, I40 are provided, eachhaving a forward pendent lug I4I with an inwardly directed stud I42which fits slidably into a horizontal hole I43 in crossbar 30 (Fig. 2),and a rear lug I44 bifurcated at the bottom so as to straddle one of thespaced reduced portions or grooves I45, I45 in each of the two sidestuds I46, I46 projecting rigidly from cheeks 28, 28. If short envelopesare mounted on the rods 32, 32, as shown indicated in full lines in Fig.3 and in clot and dash lines in Fig. 6 at 41, but when long envelopesindicated at M1 in said Fig. 6 are to be used, the rails are slid apartand set in the outer grooves I45 on studs I46, I46. While on the subjectof the stack or supply of the cards or envelopes, it should be clearthat an upright stack or column can also be used, feeding the cards,etc., from the bottom or the top, if desired. 7

According to the described new procedure, it

is -slidably r will be appreciated that addressing of a large number ofenvelopes or typing data or calculations on cards, sheets, folders,etc., will be quite rapid and convenient, as fatigue of the fingerscaused by adjustment of the roller or other facilities of the typewriteras such is absolutely eliminated and the fingers left to do the typingand perform other light functions only, such as depressing the initialrelease lever and the typewriter tabulator key, while the heavy work isall concentrated into the one simple operation of depressing the manuallever by the whole right hand or palm. It is also evident that thoperations involved in the mechanism and typewriter are allpredetermined so that no great care or thought on the part of anoperator is necessary and mere momentary and relatively light musculareffort will suffice, with the desirable result that all the attentionmay be devoted to the typing operation alone.

If desired, the lever 32 with its band 98 and wind up reel 99 etc., maybe replaced by other equivalent constructions which will occur to thoseskilled in the art, so long a the one-way clutch device is included inthe operation. Furthermore, the foot II6, as well as link II? and lowerarm .I I9 of the lever 92 can be dispensed with and the head for themechanism slightly modified as indicated in Fig. 10, at I24. Instead ofthe whole head, or at least the right side .dropping from the idleposition indicated in dot and dash in Fig. 3 to the operative positionshown in full lines, the head I24 will remain rigidly'in place and abracket I25 pivoted on a stud I26 on lug I21 andcarrying the drive gearI33 and operating gear I II, is swingable about said stud is normallyheld with its arm I28 in raised position by engagement of the end I29 ofoperating lever I36 against arm I3I of said bracket as shown in fulllines, while a tension spring I32 connected to arm I28 of the bracketand the lug I2I tends to swing said bracket and said gearscounterclockwise as shown in broken lines when the operating lever I30during operation moves in the direction of the arrow as shown in dot anddash lines, thus allowing gear III to drop into mesh with th platenshaft gear (not shown in Fig. 10). The drive gear I33 is in this casenot directly mounted upon the roller shaft but is connected thereto byappropriate transmission or gearing (not shown). Fig, 10A shows asomewhat similar modification, in which th front frame I53 has a lugI59, while upon the roller shaft I9 is swingably mounted a bracket I69having an extension I6I upon which the operating gear II I is rotatablymounted in mesh with drive gear I 63. Upon the bracket I66 the portionI62 which is eccentric with respect to the roller shaft is a tensionspring I63 connected also to lug I59 of the front frame tending torotate bracket we with gear III counterclockwis so as to mesh gear IIIwith platen gear H5. A second lug I64 serves as an abutment for acompression spring I65 which acts against another eccentric projectionI66 upon the swingable bracket I66 to swing the same in th samedirection, but if the effect i stronger than necessary with bothsprings, either one may be omitted altogether.

Normally, the operating cam lever I33, like that of Fig. 10, in idleposition rests aaginst eccentric portion I62 of the swingable bracketwith suificient force to swing the bracket clockwise against its springor springs so that part I66 is stopped against lug I59 with operatinggear out of contact with th platen gear HE.

A very practical modification of our invention is shown in Fig. 9 inwhich the frame I49 of the apparatus is permanently combined with thatof a typewriter to form a single unit, so that the typinginstrumentalities and high-speed feeding facilities are permanentlyassociated in one apparatus which will serve admirably for ordinarytyping on business and legal type stationery when the swingable framegenerally indicated at I5!) is swung back into idle position andimmediately adapted for production basis addressing or typing of cardsand envelopes as set forth for the previously described form of theinvention. The manual lever I5I is retained in proximity to the frameI49 by the retainer I52, while the operating lever I53 is operated by aroller I54 on manual lever I5I, and pivoted at I55 in a block I56 whichis slidable in the parallel gibs or guides I51, I51 to allow the lowerpivoted end of said operating lever to withdraw to a rearward positionwhen the frame I50 as a whole is swung back to idle or inoperativeposition. In general, this form of the invention operates in similarfashion to that of the first form already described.

Manifestly, several variations may be resorted to and parts may bemodified or used without others, within the general scope and spirit ofour 1 invention and the appended claims.

Having now fully described our invention and certain uses thereof, weclaim:

1. Feeding apparatus for association with a typing machine having arotatable platen capable of letter spacing travel and for selectivelyfeeding a sheet of paper from a stack of sheets to a typing positionupon said platen, said apparatus comprising the combination of supportmeans for supporting a plurality of sheets in a stack, means located ina stationary position spaced above the path of the letter spacing travelof the platen for initially releasing a sheet from one end of said stackat will, preparatory to feeding the same to said platen, and furthermeans mounted above the platen and capable of being lowered into aposition effective to drive said platen while feeding said sheet to andaround the platen to initial typing position, said further means beingnormally dissociated from the platen during operation of the typingmachine.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the further means forcontinuing the movement of the initially released sheet from the stockincludes movable gripping roller means for gripping and positivelycontinuing the movement of said sheet, and rockable gear means foroperating a gear rigid with the platen temporarily and exclusivelyduring the mentioned movement while the last means positively continuesthe said movement.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the further means forcontinuing the movement of the initially released sheet from the stack,includes movable gripping roller means for gripping and positivelycontinuing the movement of said envelope or the like toward the platen,rockable gear means for engaging a gear associated with said platenexclusively during said movement in order to rotate the platen and causethe same to receive said sheet and bring the same to typing position, asupporting foot extending downward from the apparatus having the lowerend normally spaced up from the table or the 75 like supporting saidapparatus when in idle position, and means for projecting said foot downinto contact with said table or the like during said movement of thesheet and the rotation of the platen and thereby causing said foot tosupport the portion of the apparatus to which said foot is connected andmaintain the same in proper relative position with respect to the gearon the platen for effective rotation of the latter.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the means for continuing themovement of the initially released sheet and feeding the same intoengagement with and about the platen, includes rotatable means mountedupon the feeding apparatus and rotatable about an axis substantiallyparallel with the platen, sheet engaging means associated with saidrotatable means so as to be caused to move and feed the sheet uponrotation of said rotatable means, rotatable idling feed roll meansengaging against said rotatable means and cooperating therewith toreceive the initially released sheet and feed the same to the platen,and a manually operable control member upon the apparatus capable upon'd'epression thereof of causing said rotatable means to be rotatedexclusively in the feeding direction which causes said sheet engagingmeans to feed the sheet in the proper direction past the idling feedroll means toward said platen, and also drive means operable upondepression of said control member for rotating the platen to cause thesame to receive the sheet from said sheet engaging means and feed saidsheet about the platen into typing position thereon.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support means for thestack and the means for initially releasing a sheet from said stackinclude a plurality of elongated parallel supporting members mountedupon the upper portion of the apparatus for supporting a series ofsheets in a row having one end thereof adjacent to the front of saidapparatus toward the typing or ribbon printing facilities with the frontends of said supporting members having stops for temporarily holding thefirst sheet in the row displaceably upon the supporting members, atleast one rotatable shedding or stripping roller disposed adjacent toeach of said stops in a position causing the shedding or stripperrollers adjacent to both stops to be effective together to receive andmove said first sheet off said stops upon occurrence of movement of saidsheet toward the rollers, at least one friction roller rotatably mountedupon the front of said apparatus in direct contact with the surface ofsaid first sheet and having a pinion rotatable therewith, a, one-wayclutch, and a depressible release lever rockably mounted upon said frontof the apparatus having a gear segment meshing with said pinion andconnected to said release lever by means of said one-way clutch, so thatdepression of the release lever will rotate said friction roller in onedirection through said clutch and gear segment and pinion to rotate saidfriction roller and thereby initially release said first sheet towardthe shedding or stripper rollers.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, having means controlled at will forcontinuing the movement of the initially released sheet and feeding thesame into engagement with and about the platen, including a rotatabledrive shaft mounted upon the feeding apparatus in general parallelism tothe platen and carrying at least one feed roll thereon, a second shaftrotatably mounted on said apparatus substantially parallel with saiddrive shaft and also carrying rigidly at least one feed roll registeringwith the one or more feed rolls on the drive shaft, an endless feed beltmounted upon and connecting each pair of registering rolls on saidshafts so that rotation of the drive shaft will cause rotation of saidsecond shaft by means of the one or more feed belts upon the registeringrolls, rotatable idling rolls registering with and engaging against saidone or more feed belts and cooperating therewith to receive theinitially released sheet, and to feed the same to the platen, a manuallyoperable control member upon the apparatus capable upon depressionthereof of causing said drive shaft to be rotated exclusively in the onefeeding direction which moves the one or more belts in the properdirection for feeding said sheet past said idling rolls toward saidplaten, and means operable upon depression of said manually operablecontrol member for rotating said platen to cause the same to receive thesheet from said feed belt or belts and feed said sheet about the plateninto a typing position thereon.

'7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means for operating theplaten include a rotatable gear shaft supported on the upper portion ofthe apparatus, an operating gear upon said gear shaft adapted toregister with a gear on the typewriter platen in one stop position ofsaid platen, a one-way clutch connected to said gear shaft and capableof transmitting rotation thereto in one given direction, a rotatablereel connected to said clutch and having a flexible band thereon with aportion thereof capable of being drawn away from the reel proper "so asto rotate said clutch and thereby rotate the operating gear in saidgiven direction, a return spring tending to return and withdraw saidportion of said band toward said reel while the operating gear remainsstationary, a manually operable control member mounted upon saidapparatus, operating means connected to said portion of said band andoperable upon depression of said control member to shift said portion ofsaid band to a limited extent away from said reel and thereby rotatesaid clutch and operating gear in said given direction, and means alsooperable upon depression of said control member for temporarily causingthe operating gear to approach and mesh with the gear on the platen upondepression of said manually operable control member so as to transmitrotation to said gear on the platen and thereby cause rotation of saidplaten.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means for continuing themovement of the initially released sheet, and feeding the same intoengagement with and about the platen, includes a rotatable drive shaftmounted upon the feeding apparatus in general parallelism to the platenand carrying at least one feed roll thereon, a second shaft rotatablymounted on said apparatus substantially parallel withsaid drive shaftand also carrying rigidly at least one feed roll registering with theone or more feed rolls on the drive shaft, an endless feed belt mountedupon and connecting each pair of registering rolls on said shafts sothat rotation of the drive shaft will cause rotation of said secondshaft by means of the one or more feed belts upon the registering rolls,rotatable idling rolls registering with and engaging against said one ormore feed belts and cooperating therewith to receive the initiallyreleased envelope, etc., and to feed the same to the platen, a manuallyoperable control member upon the apparatus capable upon depressionthereof of causing said drive shaft to be rotated exclusively in the onefeeding direction which moves the one or more belts in the properdirection for feeding said sheet past said idling rolls toward saidplaten, and wherein the means for operating the platen temporarilyinclude a rotatable gear shaft supported on the upper portion of theapparatus, an operating gear upon said gear shaft adapted to registerwith a gear on the typewriter platen in one stop position of saidplaten, operating means for rotating the operating gear upon depressionof the control member, and means also operable upon depression of saidcontrol member for temporarily causing the operating gear to approachand mesh with the gear on the platen upon depression of said manuallyoperable control member so as to transmit rotation to said gear on theplaten and thereby cause rotation of said platen.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means for initiallyreleasing a single sheet from the stack include a manually operablemeans upon said apparatus having facilities associated therewith forinitially releasing a single sheet from said stack upon operation ofsaid manually operable means, while the means for continuing themovement of the initially released sheet, and feeding the same intoengagement with and about the platen, includes a rotatable drive shaftmounted upon the feeding apparatus in general parallelism to the platenand carrying at least one feed roll thereon, a second shaft rotatablymounted on said apparatus substantially parallel with said drive shaftand also carrying rigidly at least one feed roll registering with theone or more feed rolls on the drive shaft, an endless feed belt mountedupon and connecting each pair of registering rolls on said shafts sothat rotation of the drive shaft will cause rotation of said secondshaft by means of the one or more feed belts upon the registering rolls,rotatably idling rolls registering with and engaging against said one ormore feed belts and cooperating therewith to receive the initiallyreleased sheet, and to feed the same to the platen, a manually operablecontrol member upon the apparatus capable upon depression thereof ofcausing said drive shaft to be rotated exclusively in the one feedingdirection which moves the one or more belts in the proper direction forfeeding said sheet past said idling rolls toward said platen, andwherein the means for operating the platen temporarily include arotatable gear shaft supported on the upper portion of the apparatus, anoperating gear upon said gear shaft adapted to register with a gear onthe. platen of the typewriter in one stop position of said platen,operating means for rotating the operating gear upon depression of thecontrol member, and means also operable upon depression of said controlmember for temporarily causing the operating gear to approach and meshwith the gear on the platen upon depression of said manually operablecontrol member so as to transmit rotation to said gear on the platen andthereby cause rotation of said platen.

' 10. Feeding apparatus for association with typing or ribbon printinginstrumentalities having a rotatable platen, in order to selectivelyfeed a single sheet from a stack thereof to a typing or printingposition upon said platen, said apparatus comprising the combination ofa stationary supporting frame, a, shiftable upper frame mounted upon andexclusively supported upon said stationary frame, means limiting theshifting of said upper frame to a rear idle position upon saidstationary frame ineffective to bring an initially released sheet intoengagement with the platen and to an effective forward contact operativeposition thereon toward the typing instrumentalities for effectivelybringing an initially released sheet into engagement with the platen,support means on said shiftable frame for supporting a plurality ofsheets in a stack, means on said shiftableframe for initially releasinga single sheet from one end of said stack at will, preparatory tofeeding the same to said platen, and further means for continuing themovement of the initially released sheet from said stack and alsofeeding the same into engagement with and about the platen and foroperating said platen temporarily to bring said sheet fully into atyping position upon said platen, at will.

11. Feeding apparatus for association with typing or ribbon printinginstrumentalities having a rotatable platen, in order to selectivelyfeed a single sheet from a stack thereof to a typing or printingposition upon said platen, said apparatus comprising the combination ofa stationary supporting frame, a shiftable upper frame mounted upon andexclusively supported upon said stationary frame, means limiting theshifting of said upper frame to a rear idle position upon saidstationary frame ineffective to bring an initially released sheet intoengagement with the platen and to an effective forward contact operativeposition thereon, toward the typing instrumentalities for effectivelybringing an initially released sheet into engagement with the platen,support means on said shiftable frame for supporting a plurality ofsheets in a stack including a plurality of elongated parallel supportingmembers mounted upon the upper portion of the apparatus for supporting aseries of envelopes in'a row having one end adjacent to the front ofsaid apparatus toward the typing facilities, and a release lever locatedat said front of said apparatus and having facilities associatedtherewith for initially releasing a single'sheet from said row upondepression of said release lever, there being follow up means upon saidupper frame for applying pressure to one end of the stack in order tourge the row of sheets toward the feeding end, and further means forcontinuing the movement of the initially released sheet from said stackand also feeding the same into engagement with and about the platen andfor operating said platen temporarily to bring said sheet fully into atyping position upon said platen, at will.

12. Feeding apparatus adapted to be associated with a machine having a,frame with a rotatable platen and typing or ribbon printing facilities,and serving to selectively feed a single sheet from a stack thereof to atyping or printing position upon said platen, said feeding apparatuscomprising a stationary supporting frame adapted to be fixed in positionadjacent to said frame of said machine, a shiftable upper frame mountedupon and exclusively supported upon said stationary frame, meanslimiting the shifting of said upper frame to a rear idle position uponsaid stationary frame ineffective to bring an initially released sheetinto engagement with the platen and to an effective forward contactoperative position thereon toward the typing instrumentalities foreffectively bringing an initially released sheet into engagement withthe platen, support means on said shiftable frame for supporting aplurality of sheets in a stack, means on said shiftable frame forinitially releasing a single sheet from one end of said stack at will,preparatory to feeding the same to said platen, and further means forcontinuing the movement of the initially released sheet from said stackand also feeding the same into engagement with and about the platen andfor operating said platen temporarily to bring said sheet fully into atyping position upon said platen, at will.

13. Feeding apparatus for association with typing or ribbon printinginstrumentalities-having a rotatable platen, in order to selectivelyfeed a single sheet from a stack thereof to a typing or printingposition upon said platen, said apparatus comprising the combination ofa stationary supporting frame, a plurality of swingable supportingmembers pivotally mounted upon said supporting frame, a shiftable framepivoted to said swingable members so as to be swingable thereon uponsaid stationary frame ineffective to bring an initially released sheetinto engagement with the platen and to an effective forward contactoperative position thereon toward the typing instrumentalities foreffectively bringing an initially released sheet into engagement withthe platen, support means on said shiftable frame for supporting aplurality of sheets in a stack, means on said shiftable frame forinitially'releasing a single sheet from one end of said stack at will,preparatory to feeding the same to said platen, and further means forcontinuing the movement of the initially released sheet from said stackand also feeding the same into engagement with and about the platen andfor operating said platen temporarily to bring said sheet fully into atyping position upon said platen, t will, there being means for limitingthe swinging of the shiftable frame to a predetermined accurateoperative position in the forward 1direction and to a rearwardinoperative'idle posi- 14, Feeding apparatus for association with typingor ribbon printing instrumentalities having a rotatable platen, in orderto selectively feed a single sheet from a stack thereof to a typing orprinting position upon said platen, said apparatus comprising thecombination of a stationary supporting frame, a plurality of swingablebrackets pivotally mounted upon said supporting frame, a shiftable framepivoted to said brackets so as to be swingable thereon upon saidstationary frame ineffective to bring an initially released sheet intoengagement with the platen and to an effective forward contact operativeposition thereon toward the typing instrumentalities for effectivelybringing an initially released sheet into engagement with the platen,support means on said shiftable frame for supporting a plurality ofsheets in a stack, stop members connected to the stationary supportingframe for limiting the swinging of the shiftable frame to apredetermined accurate operative position in the forward direction andto a rearward inoperative idle position, means on said shiftable framefor initially releasing a single sheet from one end of said stack atwill, preparatory to feeding the same to said platen, and further meansfor continuing the movement of the initially released sheet from saidstack and also feeding the same into engagement with and about theplaten and for operating said platen temporarily to bring said sheetfully into a typing position upon said platen, at will.

15. Feeding apparatus for association with typing or ribbon printinginstrumentalities having a rotatable platen, in order to selectivelyfeed a single sheet from a stack thereof to a typing or printingposition upon said platen, said apparatus comprising the combination ofa stationary supporting frame, a shiftable upper frame mounted upon andexclusively supported upon said stationary frame, means limiting theshifting of said upper frame to a rear idle position upon saidstationary frame ineffective to bring an initially released sheet i'ntoengagement with the platen and to an effective forward contact operativeposition thereon toward the typing instrumentalities for effectivelybringing an initially released sheet into engagement with the platen,support means on said shiftable frame for supporting a plurality ofsheets in a stack, a head or front feeding portion upon the shiftableframe, means upon saidhead for initially releasing a single sheet fromone end of said stack at will, preparatory to feeding the same to saidplaten, and further means for continuing the movement of the initiallyreleased sheet from said stack and also feeding the same into engagementwith and about the platen including a rotatable drive shaft mounted onsaid head in general parallelism to the platen and carrying at least onefeed roll thereon, a second shaft rotatably mounted on the headsubstantially parallel with said drive shaft and also carrying thereonat least one feed roll registering with the one or more feed rolls onthe drive shaft, an endless feed belt mounted upon and connecting eachpair of registering rolls on said shafts so that rotation of the driveshaft will cause rotation of said second shaft by means of the one ormore feed belts upon the registering rolls, rotatably idling rollsregistering with and engaging against said one or more feed belts andcooperating therewith to receive the initially released sheet, and tofeed the same to the platen, a manually operable control member upon theapparatus capable upon depression thereof of causing said drive shaft tobe rotated exclusively in the one feeding direction which moves the oneor'more belts in the proper direction for feeding said sheet past saididling rolls toward said platen, and means upon said head for rotatingsaid platen to cause the same to receive the sheet from the feed belt orbelts and feed said sheet about the platen to a typing position thereon,and manually operable control means for causing rotation of said shafts.

16. Feeding apparatus for association with typing or ribbon printinginstrumentalities having a rotatable platen, in order to selectivelyfeed a single sheet from a stack thereof to a typing or printingposition upon said platen, said apparatus comprising the combination ofa stationary supporting frame, a shiftable upper frame mounted upon andexclusively supported upon said stationary frame, means limiting theshifting of said upper frame to a rear idle position upon saidstationary frame ineffective to bring an initially released sheet intoengagement with the platen and to an effective forward contact operativeposition thereon toward the typing instrumentalities for effectivelybringing an initially released sheet into engagement with the platen,support means on said shiftable frame for supporting a plurality ofsheets in a stack, a head or front feeding portion upon the shiftableframe, means for operating the platen temporarily to bring a sheetinitially released from the stack fully into typing position on saidplaten including a rotatable gear shaft mounted on said head, anoperating gear upon said gear shaft adapted toregister with a gear onthe platen in one stop position of said platen, the platen having aconventional step by step letter spacing movement, a manually operablecontrol member mounted upon said feeding apparatus, operating meanssupported upon said head for rotating said operating gear upondepression of the control member, and means for temporarily causing theoperating gear to approach and mesh with the gear on the platen so as totransmit rotation to said gear on the platen and thereby cause rotationof said platen. I

17. Feeding apparatus for association with typing or ribbon printinginstrumentalities having a rotatable platen, in order to selectivelyfeed a single sheet from a stack thereof to a typing or printingposition upon said platen, said apparatus comprising the combination ofa stationary suporting frame, a, shiftable upper frame mounted upon andexclusively supported upon said stationary frame, means limiting theshifting of said upper frame to a rear idle position upon saidstationary frame ineffective to bring an initially released sheet intoengagement with the platen and to an effective forward contact operativeposition thereon toward the typing instrumentalities for effectivelybringing an ini tially released sheet into engagement with the platen,support means on said shiftable frame for supporting a plurality ofsheets in a stack, a head or front feeding portion upon the shiftableframe, means upon said head for initially releasing a single sheet fromone end of said stack at will, preparatory to feeding the same'to saidplaten, and further means for continuing the movement of the initiallyreleased sheet from said stack and also feeding the same into engagementwith and about the platen including a rotatable drive shaft mounted onsaid head in general parallelism to the platen and carrying at least onefeed roll thereon, a second shaft rotatably mounted on the headsubstantially parallel with said drive shaft and also carrying thereonat least one feed roll registering with the one or more feed rolls onthe drive shaft, an endless feed belt mounted upon and connecting eachpair of registering rolls on said shafts so that rotation of the driveshaft will cause rotation of said second shaft by means of the one ormore feed belts upon the registering rolls, rotatably idling rollsregistering with and engaging a ainst said one or more feed belts andcooperating therewith to receive the initially released sheet, and tofeed the same to the platen, a manually operable control member upon theapparatus capable upon depression thereof of causing said drive shaft tobe rotated exclusively in the one feeding direction which moves the oneor more belts in the proper direction for feeding said sheet past saididling rolls toward said platen, and means upon said head for rotatingsaid platen to cause the same to receive the sheet, from the feed beltor belts and feed said sheet, about the platen to a typing positionthereon, the platen having a conventional step by step letter spacingmovement, and manually operable control means for causing rotation ofsaid shafts, comprising a rotatable gear shaft mounted on said head, anoperating gear upon said gear shaft adapted to register with a gear onthe platen in one stop position of said platen, a manually operablecontrol member mounted upon said feeding apparatus, operating meanssupported upon said head for rotating said operating gear upondepression of the control member, and means for temporarily causing theoperating gear to approach and mesh with the gear on the platen upondepression of said manually operable control member so as to transmitrotation to said gear on the platen and thereby cause rotation of saidplaten.

18. Feeding apparatus for association with typing or ribbon printinginstrumentalities having a rotatable platen, in order to selectivelyfeed a single sheet from a stack thereof to a typing or printingposition upon said platen, said apparatus comprising the combination ofsupport means for supporting a plurality of sheets in a stack, means forinitially releasing a single sheet from one end of said stack, at will,preparatory to feeding the same to said platen, a rotatable drive shaftmounted upon the feeding apparatus in general parallelism to the platenand carrying at least one feed roll secured thereon, a second shaftrotatably mounted on said apparatus substantially parallel with saiddrive shaft and also carrying rigidly at least one feed roll registeringwith the one or more feed rolls on the drive shaft, an endless feed beltmounted upon and connecting each pair of registering rolls on saidshafts so that rotation of the drive shaft will cause rotation of saidsecond shaft by means of the one or more feed belts upon the registeringrolls, rotatable idling rolls registering with and engaging against saidone or more feed belts and cooperating therewith to receive theinitially released sheet, and a manually operable lever pivoted upon theapparatus and having a mechanical contact portion intermediate the endsthereof, a reel having a band upon the same, a cam lever pivotallysupported upon said apparatus with a camming portion intermediate theends abutted by said mechanical contact portion of the manually operablelever and with the end of said cam lever connected to a portion uponsaid band so as to draw said portion from the reel upon depression ofthe manual lever and consequent movement of said cam lever, a returnspring connected to said reel and tending to return said portion uponsaid band toward said reel, a one-way clutch connecting said reel withthe drive shaft so as to transmit rotation thereto from said reel in onegiven direction and allowing said shaft to remain stationary duringreturn rotation of said reel and return of the band, cam lever andmanual lever to original position, at least one feed roll secured onsaid drive shaft, a second rotatable feed roll rotatably mounted on theapparatus in register with but spaced from the first feed roll,

to feed the same to the platen,

a feed belt upon said feed rolls, a rotatable idling roll engagingagainst said feed belt and cooperating with the same to receive theinitially'released sheet, and to feed the same to the platen, saidplaten having a conventional step by step letter spacing movement, anoperating gear rotated by saiddrive shaft, a gear upon the platen in onestop position of said platen, and means causing at least said operatinggear to move toward and mesh with said gear on the platen upondepression of the manually operable lever.

19. A feeding apparatus according to claim 18, including a supportinglever pivoted on said apparatus and having a supporting foot connectedto one end adapted normally to rest upon the surface supporting theentire apparatus in order to maintain a portion of the same raised andthe operating gear out of mesh with the gear on the platen, and meansconnecting another portion of said supporting lever to the cam lever sothat upon operation of said cam lever, the same will partly rotate saidsupporting lever about the pivotal mounting thereof and thereby raisesaid foot sufliciently to allow said portion of the apparatus to lowerand thereby bring the operating gear into mesh with the gear on theplaten.

20. Combined feeding and typing or ribbon printing apparatus including astationary frame having typing or ribbon printing instrumentalities anda rotatable platen in combination with means to selectively feed asingle sheet from a stack thereof to typing or ribbon printing positionon said platen, including a shiftable frame mounted upon said stationaryframe and shiftable thereon from a rear idle position ineffective tobring an initially released sheet into engagement with the platen, to aforward contact position toward said typing instrumentalities effectiveto bring an initially released envelope, card or the like intoengagement with the platen, support means upon said shiftable frame forsupporting a plurality of sheets in a stack, means on the shiftableframe for releasing a single sheet from one end of said stackpreparatory to feeding the same to said platen, further means upon saidshiftable frame for continuing the travel of the initially releasedsheet from said stack and feeding the same directly to the platen, meansfor operating the platen at least temporarily to bring said sheet intoengagement with, and feed the same about, said platen into a typing orribbon printing position, and manually operable control means on saidapparatus for causing the release and subsequent feeding of the sheet toand about the platen.

HERBERT J. KEATING. JOHN E. KEE' I'ING.

